Legal Definitions - cost bill

A cost bill, also known as a bill of costs, is a detailed list of expenses incurred by the winning party in a lawsuit. This list is submitted to the court and the losing party after a judgment has been made. The cost bill is used to determine how much of the winning party's expenses the losing party will have to pay.

Examples of expenses that can be included in a cost bill are:

• Fees for the clerk
• Fees for serving summons and subpoenas
• Fees for printing
• Fees for witnesses
• Compensation for court-appointed experts

It's important to note that there are limits to what can be included in a cost bill. For example, attorney fees are usually not allowed to be included.

Here's an example to illustrate how a cost bill works:

Let's say that John sues Jane for breach of contract and wins the case. John's lawyer prepares a cost bill that includes fees for the clerk, fees for serving summons and subpoenas, fees for printing, and fees for witnesses. The total cost bill comes to $5,000. The court then orders Jane to pay John $5,000 to cover his expenses.